Ruthless
by Babyuknowme13
Summary: Suri Hawkins lost her parents to the Armada, now a captain in her own right she tries to figure out what being a pirate means to her. She'll have to gather a loyal crew, brave the greatest dangers, and sail through the worst storms on the spiral. She's going to make a name for herself and Lord have mercy on anyone that gets in her way, because she won't.
1. A Pirate's Life for Me

Summary: Ruthless Suri Hawkins lost her parents to the armada years ago, and subsequently was raised by wharf rats on Skull Island. She's a swashbuckler of the highest degree, or at least, she _will be._ First she has to escape this Armada ship and figure out why the clockworks are so determined to cart her away in chains. It was just one little duel after all.

Disclaimer: I do not own Pirate101!

Chapter 1: A Pirate's Life for me!

This golden age of piracy had seen the rise and fall of many legendary figures. From captain Blood to the Pirate Lord Avery, they've left their marks on the history pages in blood red ink. They came in all shades and colors, some were in it for the adventure, for the freedom, for revenge, for practicality. Of course, _everyone_ was in it for the gold.

Captain Horace Avery won control of Skull Island from a marleybone official, and has striven to turn it into a Pirate Republic ever since. At best his control is shaky, for there are still many corners where people fear to tread. Few have ever reached his level of power though, and it is no surprise that he is colloquially known as the Pirate Lord.

The Spiral is ever swirling, ever expanding, and skyways are rich for the plundering. New pirates are rising from humble beginnings every day, dreaming of untold treasure and glory. Among them is a young girl, just seventeen.

She is wiry, with lots of lean muscle and pale skin. Her flaxen hair hangs loose, framing sparkling blue eyes and a perpetual smirk. The clothes she wears are old and faded but had once been of some quality, typical for a pirate. She is young, quick and clever and goes by Suri Hawkins. Someday she'll have a title, like Merciless or Cynical. For now she's a pirate in name only.

For now she is in the brig of an Armada ship on her way to find out what happens to pirates in the clockwork's gentle hands.

She paces the cell she was unceremoniously thrown in. It is seven by eight feet, not very big at all. On a ship this size there must have been room for fifteen such cells, and that was if they only used a single level. There's only one other prisoner on board, she'd heard him shuffling about earlier but hadn't made contact. It was a rather small catch for such a big ship. They'd been looking for her specifically for some reason.

The only thing she could think of was her parents. They'd died ages and ages ago. The Armada had captured them, and done to them whatever it was they did to the pirates they captured. Suri didn't really want to know. Their death had left her in the ever changing arms of the Wharf rats. Some of them were decent, for rats, and others had used her for their own ends.

Now she was here. Sometimes the pirate life wasn't all it was cracked up to be.

The ship suddenly pitched violently to the side. Suri hit the opposite wall with a grunt and righted herself, standing with the easy balance that let her withstand the sudden change in course. Explosions echoed down the corridors, shouts and the clang of metal told her all she really needed to know. This wasn't just the first shock of entering a windlane, this was a battle.

"Get back, it's going to blow!" An age toughened voice warned. A small explosion had her run to the bars of her cell. "Is the prisoner we're looking for here? Check down there, monkey!"

"I am, I am!" A voice with a snooty Polarin accent replied. In just a moment two figures came to a stop in front of her cage.

"We have found her, oho! She is the one!" The monkey—owner of the Polarin accent, she noticed—cheered.

"We can't be sure." The second figure was a much larger one. He was a rotund man with a burly beard and a hook for a hand. She knew him though, very few people didn't. Captain Boochbeard was famous, the luckiest unlucky pirate to ever sail the skyways she'd heard him called. No one knew where he'd come from, no one knew of any tales when he was young. He'd always sort of… _existed_ as a pirate. He had a knack for ending up in important places, but never seemed to amass the wealth other pirates did.

"You there, you're standin' in my blind spot! Are ye a boy or a girl?" He questioned her.

"A girl, obviously." She answered.

"And what's yer name?" He prompted.

"I'm Suri Hawkins, if you must know." She barked. They were wasting time. Were they going to let her out or not?

"It _is_ her! I told you!" The monkey—Mr. Gandry, she recalled—gloated.

"We gotta test her first!" Boochbeard insisted, sounding very put out. Mr. Gandry rolled his eyes and gave her a look, as if to say _see what I have to deal with_.

"We know yer an orphan." He informed her. "What happened to yer parents?"

"Gunned down by the Armada ages ago." She groaned. The explosions were getting louder, the sudden pitches more violent. The Armada ship was losing.

"Sorry thing, that." He sighed sympathetically. "And where were ye raised?"

"On Skull Island." She hoped this little question and answer session ended quickly. All they needed was a few guards to decide to check on the prisoners and they'd all be done for.

"Raised by Wharf Rats, no doubt!" His tone implied he didn't care much for wharf rats. "Why'd the Armada arrest ye anyway?"

"I dueled one of'em for a friend of mine." She admitted. Runner wasn't much of one, but she wasn't so rich in friends she could afford to turn one away.

"That settles it then, ye _are_ the one we've been lookin' for!" He laughed boisterously. "Mr. Gandry, help me with this winch!"

She backed up, biting her lip in anticipation. Freedom was a lever's turn away. She'd get away, get back to Skull Island, start her own crew! Visions of gold and undiscovered skies danced before her eyes.

The bars groaned and slid three inches before grinding to a halt.

"Blast!" Boochbeard cursed. "The bulkhead's bent!"

"WHAT?" She screeched. So much for visions of freedom. She was trapped like a rat, not a prayer in the world of escape.

Not until another explosion took out the back wall of the cell, nearly taking her with it. It was a stroke of luck. The explosion had made a hole just large enough for her to waltz through, which is what she did, _quickly._ Every minute in that cell was another minute closer to dying at the Valencian hands of the Armada.

"Wait, stranger!" She'd nearly gone straight past the sole remaining occupant of this brig. He was a horse barbarian, she thought his people were from Mooshu or possibly beyond it but she wasn't sure. He had a milk chocolate coat with coal black mane and strong arms. "Please, free me!"

Well, it'd be rather poor form to leave a fellow prisoner on his own, wouldn't it? Suri nodded quickly and dashed to the lever. It wasn't jammed as hers' had been, it slid open easy. Some horses had all the luck.

"Thank you, stranger." He bowed formally as soon as he'd stepped out of the bars. "Saving my life is not a debt I can easily repay, I shall follow you into battle!" He declared, looking rather excited at the prospect.

"Follow me as you wish," She permitted him. "I am Suri Hawkins."

"I am Subodai." He introduced himself as they ran back to Boochbeard and Mr. Gandry.

"Quickly now, step lightly!" Mr. Gandry ushered them to the end of the hall where a flight of stairs were waiting. They raced for the sunlight pouring out on the deck. The breeze of the skyway filled their lungs and gave them new life.

Subodai kept slightly back as Deacon, the spymaster of the armada, revealed himself. Three Armada Angels appeared, poised to strike them down. The girl, a spit of a thing with two thin daggers and a confident look, rushed forward to meet the first in battle. He looked on approvingly. He would've hated serving a coward but Suri Hawkins certainly wasn't afraid of getting in the thick of things.

"How dare you harm my friend?" He bellowed, rushing a second angel after it scored a shallow cut on Suri. He noticed that she finished off her opponent just as he reached his. The sword he'd feared he'd never wield in battle again cleaved the soulless monster in two. That left but one angel. He met Suri's eye and felt the thrill of combat overtake him.

"Do you really think you can escape me?" The voice of a clockwork was never easy on the ears but it was somehow worse coming from that one. Deacon, spymaster of the Armada, one of the top brass. Why he was here, why he'd taken such an interest in the girl, Suri Hawkins, he did not know. It was enough to see the half dozen clockworks—some new design he briefly noted, bulkier and with better artillery—rise from below deck.

"Surrender. Don't make me destroy you." The masked monster ordered them.

"Hoho, don't bother!" Boochbeard chuckled, jiggling his belly as he fired a flare into the sky, signaling his crew. In an instant cannonballs tore the new clockworks to pieces, enraging Deacon.

"Very well then, enjoy your freedom, while it lasts." Deacon fired his sparkblaster at some gunpowder, nearly taking Boochbeard's eye out and leaving him temporarily blinded.

"Suri, ye'll have to get us to safety! Know ye how to sail a vessel?" The elderly pirate questioned her as they scrambled aboard his ship.

"I know it well!" She dashed to the helm as soon as all four of them were safely aboard. She called out to the crew to switch sails and tugged the wheel around to set a course for Skull Island. The look-out called a warning of a blockade of Armada ships and Suri cursed again. Things just couldn't be simple, could they?

"Use the Fuel, Suri." Mr. Gandry advised her. "Better to pay to refill it than rot in the Armada's prisons."

Suri nodded her understanding and pulled the lever. Their sudden acceleration nearly caused her to lose her balance but it did its job well in keeping them ahead of the Armada's guns. Those bigger prison barges couldn't turn around fast enough to give chase and before long they'd crossed one of the windlanes into Skull Island territory, that was about as safe as a pirate could get. Any Armada ship that crossed into Skull Island territory could count on being blasted out of the sky shortly thereafter.

She pushed the lever back into the off position to conserve their fuel, briefly checking the gauge and realizing she'd just chewed up 26% of their fuel capacity. Suri dearly hoped Boochbeard would not expect her to compensate for that.

"Ah, Skull Island, what a sight for sore eyes." Boochbeard reappeared, having visited the infirmary to have his eye healed. Suri gracefully relinquished control of the ship to her rightful captain, it just didn't feel right to sail someone else's ship.

"Once we reach port ye'd do well to visit Captain Avery, he's always lookin' to hire good pirates for some scheme or other!" He gave her a bit of free advice.

"Heh, a rookie like me talking to the Pirate Lord?" Suri muttered, she had never dared dream of such a thing before. Only the best and the brightest worked for Avery, why would he hire a no-name rookie like her? But if Boochbeard vouched for her that might open up some doors, and more than a few treasure chests too, she might add.

"So the plan is to see this Captain Avery?" Subodai grunted, peering at that distant shore.

"As good a plan as any." Suri decided.

Boochbeard did not stick around long, he only wanted to refill his Fuel, causing a guilty twinge in Suri's heart. He didn't want any reimbursement, but Suri resolved to keep an eye and an ear to the skyways in case the doddery old pirate found himself in need of some help.

Skull Island was the same as it had ever been, a pirate's haven of debauchery. The place had been cleaned up bit by bit over the years, making it just about presentable. Although the population wasn't very big it had enough firepower to rival some of the great nations, and word on the skyways was that Avery's goal was to have Skull Island recognized as a genuine Republic for Pirates.

"Come on, Avery's Court is this way." She led Subodai up the steps towards the place Avery's closest crewmates lived and worked. Amongst them was her personal hero, Morgan LaFitte, a swashbuckler like no other.

And so long as she didn't meet his famous Buccaneer, Mordekai, Suri could live with not seeing her in person. He was head of security on Skull Island and the Wharf Rats had instilled a deep seated fear of his visage into her while she was young. She had no way of knowing if he was really as bad as they said but she didn't need to find out just yet.

Avery's Stronghold had seen better days. Explosions came from the West Bastion and rubble dotted the landscape. She'd been gone two days and suddenly her home was under siege by the Troggies of Skull Mountain? When had the world turned topsy turvy?

"This battle has been going on for some hours." Subodai commented, inspecting the fresh rubble on the ground. "Who are the enemies?"

"Troggies on Skull Mountain, across the bridges, not very bright but they've been peaceful enough before now." Suri informed him. "Wonder what riled them up."

"Perhaps that is something else this Avery can help us with." He snorted, looking thoroughly excited at the prospect. Suri had to stop herself from shaking her head fondly, she'd managed to pick up a battle junkie for her first crewmate. Fate worked in mysterious ways.

"Have Mordekai sail three skiffs in from the far side if those launching points aren't found in the next hour!" Avery ordered a young skipper briskly. Suri stepped aside for the harried skipper and studied the man who people called the Pirate Lord.

"Well now, who's this?" Avery asked with a jovial expression, a deep contrast to the fierce, ruthless, look he'd worn a moment ago.

"Suri Hawkins, here on recommendation by Boochbeard." She said with a breezy air, as if this morning's escape had been nothing more harrowing than a moonlit walk on the beach.

"Ah, one of Boochbeard's investments, are you?" He swept her with a weather worn eye. Suri fought not to fidget and kept eye contact.

"Well I run a pirate haven here, not a charity. As a matter of fact, there is a small detail I need an enterprising young pirate for." He smiled, showing that he had all his teeth still. "You want a ship? Do this small task and I'll _give_ you one!"

"What small task is this?" She asked suspiciously. Maybe Avery was rich enough to give ships away, but she doubted it.

"One of my more," He paused, searching for just the right word. " _willful_ crewmen, Fin Dorsal, stole my Jade Amulet from me, I need it back."

"Contact my Chief Gunner, Rigby, he'll tell you what you need to do." He instructed them. Suri nodded wordlessly and led them outside again. Bombs were still whizzing through the air and pirates were running to and fro trying to contain the fires and counterattack at the same time.

"Looks like we'll be getting into the thick of things." She commented as they walked towards the West Bastion.

"Oi, keep your bloomin' head down!" The chief gunner roared at them as they stepped up to him. "Unless you want to lose it to the Troggies, that is!"

"We're supposed to be looking for Fin Dorsal to retrieve something for Avery." She roared back.

"Bah, we've got Troggies stealin' our powder and tossing it back and Avery's worried about his bauble? Go across the bridge then and get it yourself but don't come crying to me when those blasted Troggies thump ya!" He warned.

"Come on." She rolled her eyes and gestured for Subodai to follow. At least the bridge wasn't under constant bombardment.

"So we will have to fight our way through these Troggies to reach our mark." Subodai hummed thoughtfully, casting a judging eye over their numbers, their weapons, and the gaps between their unorganized formations.

"Not unless you were hoping for a shallow grave." To their credit, neither jumped as the fox musketeer melted out of the tree line from where she'd been presumably sniping any Troggies that thought to take out the bridge.

"I'm Bonnie Anne, what're you two doing here?" She greeted them.

"I'm Suri Hawkins, this is Subodai, we've been sent to retrieve something from Fin Dorsal, know where he's hiding?" She was getting sick of having to explain herself. This wouldn't be an issue once she had a proper name for herself!

"Ack, Fin Dorsal!" Bonnie spat to the side. "He's the one who riled up the Troggies, got them mad as badgers! I don't know where he is now though."

"I know two other gentleman pirates were sent out after him, but they haven't come back and that was some time ago." She offered.

"Not that it matters, there're so many Troggies out and about you'd never make it up the mountain alive and we've got to take out those slingers or the whole island will go up in flames." She growled.

Suri scowled and gazed into the forest. A few Troggies from time to time would stalk close to the edge of the trees but Bonnie had left enough of an impression to make them skittish. She wasn't a long range fighter though, she and Subodai needed to make it past them but stealth didn't look to be an option.

"Any ideas, Captain?" Suri felt something inside her preen to hear that title directed towards her. She wasn't much of one, not yet, but it was nice to hear it.

"Troggies aren't that bright, as I said before." She started. "If Ms. Bonnie Anne doesn't mind giving us a little distraction we can sneak past their first line and from there, find the slingers they're using to bombard the town."

"We blow one of'em and mark the other two on the way back, Annie sends the info across the line and the Troggies will be in so much of a panic that we should only have to deal with a few stragglers as we sneak past." She checked the straps on her boots and the edge of her blades as she talked.

"A distraction, eh?" Bonnie Anne chuckled and hoisted her spark thrower. "I'd be tickled pink."

"Give me a minute and go for it." She climbed back up the tree she'd been using and began sending sparks flying into the jungle to the chorus of pained yips and ribbits.

Suri and Subodai didn't hesitate when they saw a gap in the line. Subodai was only a step behind her as they darted into the foliage to avoid the frantic eyes of the hunters. She led them over a creek and around a bend, counting the slingers as they passed.

"I'll go up and set it to blow, stay here and keep watch, we're gonna have Troggies on our tail on the way back." She whispered. Subodai gave an understanding nod and caressed the hilt of his sword.

Tenderly, Suri stepped out of the cover of the leaves. The two gunners were busy reloading another barrel of powder, ready to fling it at the town and not paying too much attention to the saboteurs behind them. That was just the way she liked it. She was able to get as close as six paces without them realizing.

They'd been messy with the powder, letting it leak from the barrels with no regard for the danger it represented. They didn't understand anything about this powder other than the fact it went BOOM when lit on the fire and hurled at an enemy. She didn't even need to spend the time to lay a trail. She just lit a match and tossed it before turning tail and sprinting for the cover of a suitably large rock.

The boom was earth shattering and likely visible from the town. Suri shook her head to clear the ringing in her ears and noticed that Subodai was doing his job in holding back a small pollywog of Troggies from attacking her with her guard down.

With a snarl and a curse on her lips she leapt at them, knifing one in the general vicinity of his kidneys and another in the arm, drawing the heat off her partner and hopeful-first-mate. The first one went down and the second attempted to lift his pea shooter with his other arm before dying too at her hands.

"Are you alright, Captain?" Subodai asked, having already dispatched his opponents.

"Peachy." She coughed, the taste of powder on her lips.

"We've got the locations of the other two, let's head back to Bonnie before more of them show up to douse the fires." The plan had worked brilliantly so far, Troggies were scrambling about for water as the fires spread and hardly noticed the pirates that snuck past them.

"I could see the explosion all the way from here!" Bonnie cheered as they came into view. "Did ya get the locations of the other two?"

"We got'em! You got a map and a runner?" Suri answered back. In seconds she'd roughly marked the locations on the provided map and another pirate, this one with black teeth and a peg leg, took it across the bridge while two more gunmen arrived to relieve Bonnie Anne.

"You've got some skill there, what would you say to another on your crew, Captain?" She asked, holstering her guns for the time being.

"I'd say welcome aboard. Now let's find Fin." Suri smirked. _'And those two lost pirates.'_ She added in the confines of her own mind.

With the rush to stamp out the fires and the heavy counterattack launched by the East Bastion they had no problems sneaking further up the mountain, deeper into Troggy territory. Suri led them stealthily up the footpaths well out of the way of the foot traffic, waving them back when someone got too close or when the explosions hit a little close to home.

"Cap'n, the Troggies got Livesy!" Bonnie gasped urgently. Suri looked where directed and saw a hand crafted cage holding a frog pistol whipper hostage. He was unguarded, but the bars were made from diamond timber, the same material used to build ships. It wasn't something easily cut through.

"Well, ain't you three a sight for sore eyes." He croaked as they slid into view. "Don't suppose you're here to rescue me?"

"Call it an unexpected bonus." Suri advised him with a half-smile. "Know where the key is? Or Fin?"

"Fin's further up the mountain, me and my partner Shepherd got separated though and I got picked up by the Troggies. As for the key, all I know is one of those blasted shamans has it." He glared up the path where vague chanting could be heard.

"Steal a key from an agitated shaman." Suri hummed thoughtfully. "Doable, but not easy."

"It would be simpler to take it by force." Subodai argued.

"I second that motion, at least then we'll have a bit of warning before they throw any hoodoo at us." Bonnie nodded, checking her ammunition stores.

"Agreed then." Knives in hand she crept up the path, looking at the shamans that dotted the landscape. They were praying and chanting, calling on Gods and spirits of the dead to aid in the battle gone horribly wrong but hoodoo was hit and miss with shamans. Witchdoctors had more ambient power to draw on and were better educated besides, they didn't fizzle nearly as often.

That didn't mean Troggy shamans weren't dangerous though. A well timed magic blast could kill a cocky young pirate. Suri didn't want to be cocky, she wanted to be _confident._

Which was why she forced her companions to wait until after she'd caught sight of a glint of metal hanging around one of the shaman's waist. Why bother fighting the whole tribe when she could pick out one frog out of the pollywog?

"Bonnie, give us some cover. Subodai, you're with me, aim for the staffs and watch out for anything that glows." She whispered tersely to them. She got two understanding nods before Bonnie's first artillery strike began.

A series of ribbits and clicks greeted their rush attack. Suri nimbly bobbed and weaved around green tendrils of light, a childhood playing Lighthouse finally coming in handy, and zeroed in on her target. The shaman in question readied a bolt of power to throw in her direction, which she avoided by sliding underneath it to take his legs out from under him and swipe the key, a feat of multitasking that would have made her foster parents proud.

The shaman clutched futilely at his chest after she stomped down on his staff, breaking it and the power source he'd tied his own life to. Two more shamans soon laid on the ground beside him though she couldn't tell if it was Subodai or Bonnie Anne who'd wracked up the kills.

A shower of sparks from the canopy overhead answered that question, telling her that Bonnie had taken the initiative to start a second fire to give Subodai and Suri a chance to break away from the throng. She took her chance, dragging Subodai by the arm behind her as they raced for Livesy's cage.

"You got it!" The frog cheered.

"Don't cheer just yet, we didn't get them all and they're angrier than ever." She panted, tossing the key to Bonnie.

"Don't be so modest, girlie." He croaked with cheer. "Not many pirates would've risked themselves for a frog they don't know."

"Give me a break, I'm just a rookie." She laughed. "Give me some time to become old and cynical."

"Personally, I find it's a nice change of pace." Bonnie snarked, finally lifting the bars keeping Livesy captive.

"I hate to interrupt," Subodai honestly did. "But we do still have a mission."

"How far up the mountain is he?" Suri sighed. It was still a pretty good walk to the famous skull mountain temple. If he'd gone that far they'd have to wade through the labyrinth of tunnels, filled with spiral only knew how many crocodiles, Troggies, and whatever else.

"All I know is there's a camp of Cutthroats up there and he was meeting with them." Livesy admitted. "We might find something out by sneaking into their camp, if we find Shepherd all the better."

"Let's get to it then." So they continued their dangerous jungle trek, avoiding the now terror-stricken Troggies. If she remembered the language right they were babbling about a vengeful Goddess and her emissaries.

On the one hand there was nothing wrong with a good reputation, on the other, she didn't want them sacrificing large insects in her name.

"Avery must not know about this." She realized once they got closer to the camp. Camp wasn't exactly the right word for it, from the looks of things the Cutthroat sharks had created a fort just outside the skull temple entrance. They looked like they'd been here for a while and weren't planning on leaving any time soon.

"What's the plan, cap'n?" Bonnie asked.

Suri hummed thoughtfully and did a quick headcount. Twenty of them coming in and out of the tents, eight of those were visible on the ship, but she didn't know if Fin was among them or how many more were tucked out of sight. Those weren't odds she wanted to place good money on.

"If you cause a distraction I can sneak in and find out what Fin's up to." Livesy suggested.

"Cutthroats are a higher level than Troggies, just setting a fire isn't going to do much good." She pointed out. Besides, though they were more battle hungry than Troggies they were also much better disciplined. They didn't have near as many gaps in formations to take advantage of.

If things weren't bad enough they were also working on a time limit. Sooner or later _someone_ was going to stumble across four pirates being where they ought not to be. And then they'd have to fight their way past an entire camp of Cutthroats plus whatever was left of the Troggies.

"Right then," She mumbled, eyeing the placement of the tents again. "I got a plan."

It was simple, easy, wasn't much different than what they'd done with the shamans. Subodai and Suri crept close and launched a surprise attack, Bonnie would rain down death from above to keep them from being surrounded. Take down a few Cutthroats and melt back into the trees to meet with Livesy. It would go better if she had some handmade bombs to spread about but those had been confiscated by the Armada and she hadn't had the time to replace them.

So naturally things went wrong immediately. A Cutthroat emerged from a tent flap at just the right moment to catch them creeping past and took exception to their presence. Subodai was on him in a flash, but not before he'd had time to shout and raise the alarm. Suri cussed as three more Cutthroats responded to the call, showing a level of teamwork she hadn't seen in their kind before.

"Fall back! Back!" She ordered, trying to break off from the fighting. With the scent of blood heavy in the air the entire camp was ready to come crashing down on them. Bonnie's cover fire could only do so much and Subodai was being surrounded. Suri soon found herself clambering on top of a small mountain of corpses, launching herself at her opponents with the vain hope that perhaps care for their fellow fish would slow their blades.

Twas not so, but after the first Cutthroat slew his brother the others turned on him. Soon it was a massive feeding frenzy that nearly killed them both as they tried to escape its pull. Suri felt a blade slide across the kin of her back and couldn't be sure if the wound was serious or not, adrenalin had nearly numbed her to such minor things as pain.

Back safely in the trees her first duty as captain was to oversee her companions. Bonnie was uninjured, save for some burns on her fingers and left arm left by reloading a spark thrower too quickly. Subodai had a score of bruises on his face and neck but was otherwise uninjured. Livesy had returned and was panting harshly on his knees, still watching through the leaves at the battle behind them.

"Captain, I saw one of them land a blow on you." Subodai grunted as he turned an experienced eye on her.

"On my back." She murmured, too wary of being discovered to speak too loudly.

While Bonnie checked her back, Livesy read aloud from the letter Fin had left in the camp to a prospective buyer. He'd be waiting for them in the Skull Temple, as she'd feared. That was a place few pirates dared to tread, filled with alligators, Troggies, and devoid of any treasure to make the trip worth while.

"Looks shallow, Cap'n." Bonnie sighed in relief. "Not much more than a scratch." Suri nodded and gingerly stretched her muscles out, searching for any other lingering aches that would slow her down.

"I still don't know where my partner is, but someone's got to send word back to Avery about this get together up here." Livesy grumbled. "And I'm the frog to do it."

"Right, while you're at it tell Avery we'll have his bauble back before sundown." Suri smirked, eyeing the Skull cave that loomed overhead.

"Ugh, places like this give me the willies." Bonnie shivered under the gloomy atmosphere.

"It is not so bad." Subodai said thoughtfully. "I have been to worse." Suri did not need to add her agreement to this assessment. Compared to Flotsam or Scrimshaw this place was like a fancy resort. She'd been to both on 'family trips' and had seen enough to hesitate on ever returning.

"Where are the Troggies?" Bonnie asked now, pointing out the lack of worshipping frogs.

"Deeper in, maybe. I certainly wouldn't want to be caught too close to the Cutthroats outside." Suri considered. Only now were the sounds of battle fading away, and she wasn't sure if that was because the fight was wearing down or if the walls of the cave were just blocking the sound.

The entrance was hidden behind the waterfall. The foliage was so thick they had to cut their way through. The water was cold and murky and the passage itself was ominous.

"Right then, time's a'wasting." Suri sighed, leading the way deeper into the caverns.

Just as she'd thought, alligators were around every corner. Suri showed her companions how to walk as close to the sides as possible, preventing the nasty reptiles from surrounding them. Today the disgusting things seemed well fed because they did not launch themselves at the young pirates. Suri counted her blessings and pretended she couldn't feel muck oozing in through the tops of her boots.

"…Blast it all." She pulled Subodai back before he could walk right into a group of cutthroats. They were sitting about, perfectly comfortable in the water, discussing Fin and some plans. They didn't mind the water, but they did keep casting suspicious looks on the glowing architecture of the Troggies. Suri rolled her eyes at the nonsense about curses they spoke of. The reason everything glowed in here was because of a lichen the troggies liked to use, it wasn't _supernatural._

"They are not so many." Subodai whispered in her ear.

"I could get two of them before they even turn around." Bonnie added, lifting her spark thrower to aim.

"At this rate we're almost beggin' for trouble." Suri rolled her eyes again and caught something out of the corner of her eye. A side passage half in the water, ignored by the cutthroats probably for being too small for them. Suri smirked and led them through, past the guards to the entrance to the main chamber.

"Well, this could be a problem." Water swirled up and through the room, forming a dangerous whirlpool. Suri considered herself a strong swimmer but there was a difference between calm pond and _raging whirlpool._

"This way is unpassable for land dwelling creatures." Subodai grimaced.

"Feh, even the fish would have a hard time swimming past it." All three turned, hands on their weapons, to see a dog pirate looking back at them. Suri cussed herself for not paying better attention. That was a mistake that could've gotten them all killed.

"Shepard!" Bonnie gasped in recognition.

"I take it you know what happened to Livesy?" The dog asked hopefully.

"He's sending word back to Avery about the school of over sized tuna upstairs." Suri informed him. "He'll be glad to know you're alive."

"I'm glad to hear he's doing fine too!" The dog barked joyously. "He and I've been partners for going on six years!"

"Friend Shepard, do you know a way we can get through to the chamber where Fin lies?" Subodai asked, judging the moment to be over.

"I do." He coughed, dispelling his silly side for now. "Back out there is a huge room where the troggies have holed themselves up. It has three idols inside that, if activated, would make the water in the whole temple recede!"

"But to get in you'll need a key. I overheard one of the cutthroats talking about it, they must have it." He finished.

"Of _course_ they do." Suri sighed and checked her daggers again. Still good, still sharp, but it never hurt to check.

There weren't as many as there were before. Some of them must have left the temple for some reason. That meant they had a much shorter window of opportunity to get this done without bringing the rest of the camp on their heads.

Suri gritted her teeth and launched herself at the first shark.

' _Frankly, it wasn't worth the effort.'_ She reflected as they opened the door to the idol room. The troggies inside were shaking scared and fled the instant the three companions made a break for the idols. Suri couldn't speak for her fledgling crew, but _she'd_ had to hang onto the idol to avoid getting sucked down with all the water.

As they picked their way back to the main chamber she had to remind herself that pirates _didn't_ cross Avery and get away with it. Abandoning this stupid mission for being too troublesome would come back to bite her _and_ her friends. She was _going_ to kick Fin Dorsal right in the nads, she was _going_ to get that stupid amulet, and she was _going_ to get a ship from Avery!

"Well, you look none too pleased." Shepard commented as they stepped forward.

"…" She gave him a look for the comment and he sheepishly coughed and looked away.

" _Ahem!_ " He tried again. "Well, the main chamber's ready and waiting now. Let's go pick a fight then, shall we?"

"A bit of advice?" Suri obediently paused to hear what he had to say. "They're cowards when you get right down to it, beat the boss and you'll beat them all."

"Truly?" She smiled. Some part of her wondered if it was wrong to be cheered by so small a tidbit. The rest of her was tired, wet, and cold and thus, refused to care.

Fin Dorsal looked just like his brethren, except for the goggles and coveralls he wore. And no real cutthroat would look so gobsmacked to see them walk through the door.

"Not who you were expecting?" She asked teasingly. "Avery sends his regards."

"…You've made _three_ mistakes, little pirate." The fish _growled_ , slamming the jade amulet onto the ceremonial dias.

"One, you didn't bring an army." He laughed, looking over at the motley crew. "Two, you challenged _me._ "

His smirk was all pointy teeth and death.

"And three, don't fight me in the dark, the dark is where I shine." Before she could even think about questioning him the fires that had lit the room went out.

"Move it or lose it!" She warned them all scant seconds before the fight began. She saw the sparks light up as Bonnie fired but it did more harm than good because it gave away her position to the sharks. Bonnie cursed and scrambled away and Suri hoped the fox would be able to get away from her pursuers. She heard Subodai's battle cry and the _shiss shing_ of his blade and decided he was doing well for himself. Shepard she had no clue about, but at least she knew where Fin was.

The amulet glowed only faintly in the dark, but it was all she really needed.

"Gaah!" Fin cried as her dagger buried itself on his person. An arm, she thought but couldn't be sure. She got confirmation when he waved the appendage and sent her flying into a stone tablet. He followed the sound of her landing and nearly landed on top of her. Suri felt the harsh sting as his curved hand-blades cut her shoulder and returned it with a cut of her own across his chest.

"I'll get you for that, little pirate!" He swore and tried to break off. But Suri had been raised by wharf rats. She knew the dark, she knew the sounds that tried to hide in it. It was child's play to stay on him, to get behind him and score two long cuts down his back.

She knew where everything was in the room and dodged his next attack by clambering on top of the same dias he'd placed the amulet on. She tucked it away out of sight in her pocket and vaulted over his head.

Sparks in the air reignited the torches. Bonnie looked very pleased with herself for doing so and Suri made a note to praise her for it later. Shepard had been pinned between two sharks but as they were blinking away spots in their vision _he_ danced away. Subodai didn't even seem to notice the light or require its aid, he'd already won his battle.

And Suri stood behind Fin, daggers poised to slit his traitorous throat.

"Back before sundown, eh?" Avery chuckled less than an hour later in his keep. Suri had returned the amulet and even _graciously_ brought Fin back alive for punishment, all before the sun had set over the horizon. "If all my pirates were as good as you, Ms. Hawkins, I'd rule the Spiral."

"Well, I am a man of my word, take this writ to Dockmaster Dan tomorrow and he'll show you to your new vessel." The pirate lord produced a piece of paper with his insignia on it.

"Pleasure doing business with you, I _do_ hope we can do it again." He beamed pleasantly.

"T'would be my pleasure." Suri smiled pleasantly back. She nodded respectfully to him and gave one more mocking grin to Fin before she exited the premises. Subodai and Bonnie were both waiting for her outside.

"We've got a ship!" She informed them with a true smile on her face and was met with answering grins.

The night was young and the yum flowed free for the ones who saved the island from going up in flames. Everyone in the Kraken Skulls Tavern was more than happy enough to buy their drinks, Fin's loot paid for the food.

"Getting mighty late." Bonnie yawned as they staggered outside, drunk but healed of their minor hurts.

"Come on, I've gots me a room up by the stairs." Suri slurred, leading her friends to the Dormitory. The building used to be the barracks for the soldiers, but now for a price the rooms were rented out to pirates on shore leave. Suri had bought a room last week for the month and thankfully still had the key. The room was rather bare with only a hammock, a desk, and a ragged couch but it was fit enough for them to sleep in.

Morning dawned all too soon, bringing with it a headache and the taste of rotten berries in her mouth. Suri grimaced and washed the taste away with a bottle of ginger ale. Bonnie was still asleep on the couch, curled up around a fancy throw pillow Suri had picked up from somewhere. Subodai was standing by the desk looking out the window.

"Ack, put me outta me misery." Bonnie groaned as she returned to the land of the living.

"No can do, we've got a ship to claim, remember?" Suri chuckled as the fox struggled to put together the night's events. Perhaps there were disadvantages to having everyone else buy your yum for you. She wasn't limited to what she could afford at that moment and drank a wee bit too much.

"You are _sickeningly_ cheerful for this hour." The musketeer grumbled some more as she combed her fingers through her tail to get rid of the worst tangles.

"It's nearly noon." Suri pointed out.

"I stand by what I said." The fox sighed. "So we're going down to Dockmaster Dan then?"

"To finally have a vessel of our very own." Subodai nodded, seeming very satisfied with the way things had turned out. Suri had to agree, considering this time yesterday she'd still been locked up in the Armada's brig.

Suri ran her fingers through her hair to straighten it and placed her tricorne firmly on her head. Her knives were exactly where she needed them to be. Her boots were laced up tight and spit shined. This was the big day, the day she became a _true_ captain and claimed her first ship.

Dockmaster Dan was waiting for them when they arrived at the beach. He read through the writ and, amazingly, gestured towards the galleon that had been moored at the claim dock.

"Heh, you're the captain of that, pfft, _mighty vessel!_ " Dan choked on his laughter as the galleon soared away and a…

Suri _supposed_ it was a raft. A very crude one, made with barrels and twine. It creaked and groaned before anyone had so much as set foot on it.

"Forgive me for saying so, young captain." Blind Mew, an old cat that always knew more than people thought he should, spoke. "But that tub might just be the saddest excuse for a flying ship that ever moored at this harbor. Even from here I can hear it's planks creaking and groaning like a sick yak."

"The Trembling Slug, on'y the, hehehe, finest for our heroes!" Dan continued trying to stifle his amusement.

"Uh-Oh, she's making that face again." Suri could hear Bonnie whisper to Subodai behind her. Suri had no _idea_ what the fox was talking about. Bonnie Anne hadn't known her long enough to recognize her faces and even if she had, Suri wasn't making a face right now.

She was far too busy planning the perfect murder. Avery had to sleep sometime.

"This is an _outrage._ " Subodai snorted hatefully. " _This_ is the gratitude Avery shows those who aid him?" Ah good, she had an accomplice.

A little worried she'd cause a fire to spontaneously ignite and destroy the docks, Suri turned away from the beach and looked back up the long walk to Avery's Court. It was high noon and she felt like killing something.

"Avery," She greeted him coldly as she walked through the door. He seemed conflicted at first glance, not sure whether to express amusement or concern. It was an interesting expression.

" _Ah,_ lady Hawkins, is there something I can do for you?" He welcomed her as warmly as ever.

"Wasn't our agreement for me to return your amulet in exchange for a ship?" She questioned him, flanked by Subodai and Bonnie. Suri had no doubts that they were the only ones in the room, but they were the only ones she was concerned about. The watchers in the hidey holes were of no concern to her.

" _What,_ " He gasped in faux surprise. "You don't like your bo— _I mean,_ your ship?"

"Nothing I can do about that I'm afraid, I've honored the _letter_ of our agreement." He defended.

" _But_ I can see that you're still a touch upset!" He frowned, as if he were her friend and wanted to cheer her up. Suri did not feel very generous towards the pirate lord today. "So why not let me point you in the way of that which every pirate loves most? Gold!"

"…I'm listening." The silent 'For now' hung in the air between them.

"Have you ever heard of Captain Gunn?" He began. "You see, he was a pirate unlike any that sailed before him, feared by officials in Marleybone and princes of Monquista alike!"

"Gunn sailed all over, and eventually wound up in the mysterious land of Mooshu, home of the Samoorai and the ninja pigs." Suri rocked back on her heels, a recollection of a similar story in mind. She was beginning to think she knew where this story was going.

"There, he discovered the Yum-Yum Fruit! A magical fruit that healed wounds, cured disease, provided longevity, and made your breath minty fresh!"

"I believe we're all familiar with the properties of Yum-Yum fruit." Suri interrupted him.

"Yes, well, did you know the Emperor of Mooshu consideres Yum-Yum fruit to be sacred? The theft of it is punishable by death." He informed her. "But only if you get caught."

"Gunn smuggled back _boat loads_ of the stuff, and he used it to make Yum bread, Yum pudding, but his real stroke of genius was when he _bottled_ it!" Avery didn't need to say the name for everyone to know it. A pirate's favorite drink was and always would be Yum.

"By the time he retired, Gunn was the richest pirate in the Spiral!" Avery sighed, likely picturing the mountains of gold. "But these days no one knows where he hid his treasure. The only clue was a last Will and Testament that was lost years ago."

"And let me guess, ye've got your hands on it?" Bonnie quipped.

"Oh no, not me." Avery briefly scowled. "An associate of mine has it and is organizing an expedition." He turned his full attention back on Suri.

"I could give you a letter of recommendation to get you on their crew." He offered.

"What's yer price?" Suri scoffed suspiciously.

"Ah, so you _do_ know how to play the game!" He smirked like a shark that smelled blood in the water. "Rumor has it that there is a chalice, wrapped in sail cloth, amongst the hoard of treasure. If you bring it to me that's all the recompense I could desire."

"With all that gold it would be simple to buy a new ship for yourself, don't you think?" He prodded.

Suri thought of that, and _knew_ Avery was using them to further his own goals. The chalice was obviously of great value, probably more than she could understand. Avery was a pirate lord, leader of Skull Island, he didn't get that way by doing favors. _Everything_ he did was working towards some goal in mind.

"Just the chalice?" She asked, still suspicious but admittedly a lot calmer than when she'd walked in. At least she knew where she stood with Avery.

"Just the chalice." He confirmed.

"Alright then, who's this associate of yours?" She settled back with a deep sigh. She didn't need to be a witchdoctor to know that this mission wasn't going to be a simple one. Something in her bones ached at the thought of the quest and that was enough to tell her she was going to be cursing his name again before the day was through.

"A swashbuckler by name of Sarah Steele, she'll be holding a meeting in the basement of the Kraken Skulls tavern at two'o'clock." He wrote a note to the swashbuckler in question and signed it with his personal seal.

"Best get going, Ms. Hawkins." He gestured to the ornate grandfather clock. "Wouldn't want to be late, now would we?"

"He is playing us for a fool." Were Subodai's first words once they walked back into the sunlight.

"I know." Suri scowled. "But unless we want to actually claim that poor excuse for a sailboat, we'll have to go along with it."

"Always knew Avery was as slippery as they come." Bonnie sighed wisely. "Always knew it, but it still rattles my chains."

"You and me both." Suri admitted. "Playing errand girl is not how I pictured the start of my pirate career."

"No, I imagine you thought it would be many daring duels, is that not right, my darling swashbuckler?" Her first reaction was not one of fear, for that Suri was grateful. She did melt a little when she caught sight of her personal hero, but at least she didn't _flinch._

"Morgan LaFitte!" She breathed. In the flesh and fur was a beautiful raccoon woman, a noble lady and daring thief rolled into one. She was the best of the best at her craft and some say she caught Avery's attention by stealing a pendant from his neck without his notice, and to this day she kept the pendant safely hidden away. Suri did not know if the rumor was true, she'd never worked up the nerve to actually meet the woman before. All she knew was that Morgan LaFitte was the first thing that popped into the mind of anyone who thought of the word "swashbuckler."

And she was here, right in front of Suri Hawkins, talking like they were familiar.

' _I will_ not _gawk like a bum.'_ Suri ordered herself furiously.

"Oui, it is I." The raccoon looked her over, pausing especially on the daggers hanging from her belt. "But you, my dear, I do not know, save that you are one of mine."

Suri no longer wanted to kill Avery. She wanted to kiss him. Or maybe Morgan.

"I go by Suri Hawkins, Madam." She nodded respectfully. "This is me crew, Subodai and Bonnie Anne."

"An aspiring captain as well, how bold!" She sounded delighted. "Tell me, my dear, are you looking to add to your crew?"

' _Heart, you have no business whatsoever being in my throat, get back in my chest where ye belong!'_

"I wouldn't be opposed to it, no Ma'am." Suri acknowledged while nervously smoothing her coat. At that moment she couldn't remember if she had brushed her hair or not and hated herself for it. Morgan LaFitte was not three steps in front of her and Suri's hair was probably tangled as bad as a rat's nest.

" _Marvelous!_ Then you must, simply must, come to my Swashbuckler's Hall, darling." The raccoon gracefully flitted forward and grabbed Suri's hand.

' _Die happy. Right here. Right now.'_ She could hardly find the piece of mind to swivel her head around and give an excited grin to her companions. Bonnie was trying to hide a giggle behind a raised hand. Subodai was shaking his head but Suri could see the chuckle shaking his shoulders. They could scrape barnacles for all she cared, her personal hero was inviting Suri to her house!

"A little friend of mine, darling girl from my home country, has been looking _everywhere_ for a suitable captain!" Morgan explained as they approached the Hall. It was next to the Witchdoctor's Cave and neighboring a sewer entrance. The swashbuckler's symbol was proudly displayed on a banner hanging on the wall.

"Her name is Fan Flanders, darling. A wonderful little thief, if I do say so myself." Morgan liked to talk. That was interesting to know.

Anyone recommended by Morgan LaFitte was welcome in her books. Suri only barely registered the sound of footsteps that meant her crew was still following her. She felt a twinge of guilt at that, they were meant to head to the Kraken Skulls, but she shook it away. A few minutes wouldn't hurt.

"I will consider it a personal favor if you take her under your wing." The raccoon continued as they entered. "A few lessons, perhaps? A sparring partner is never an unwelcome thing, darling."

"I think that'd be agreeable." Suri nodded. Knives and swords of varying lengths were mounted on the walls. She wondered if Morgan knew how to use all of these.

"Who's this then?" The whirlwind tour was halted by a short, curly blonde frog in an adventurer's cap. Two long knives hung at her belt in easy reach and the indents on the belt indicated she was used to wearing them.

"Fan dear, this is Mademoiselle Suri Hawkins, a pirate captain looking for new blood for her crew." Fan clearly knew the name, by the way her eyes lit up. Part of Suri wondered how famous she was now for beating Fin.

"Oh, a proper captain at last willing to give me a shot?" The frog looked up and down the human girl, conducting her own investigation.

"If you think you can keep up. We're supposed to be leaving on an expedition soon." Suri informed them as she noticed a clock on the wall. Thirty minutes until the meeting started.

"Keep up, hah! Don't make me laugh!" Fan looked even more cheered at the news. "You don't mind a very _famous_ thief on your crew, do you, captain?"

The promised lessons would have to wait until Suri had some free time, but Fan came with them to the Kraken Skulls meeting.

The barkeep at the Kraken Skulls directed them to the basement and Suri led the way. Hopefully there wouldn't be too many people in on this venture, but she couldn't shake the feeling that everything was about to go wrong.

"Pardon the interruption." She called as they entered. "Avery recommended this little meeting to us."

"He did, did he?" A rat woman raised a suspicious brow. Suri approved of her caution. Once she read through the note the rat woman became a lot more friendly.

"I'm Sarah Steele, welcome aboard, we were just about to get started." She moved to the table that had been set for everyone. No Yum was being offered though, difficult to have serious negotiations when everyone was getting drunk.

"Among us, I believe Captain Ratbeard has the largest ship?" Sarah directed towards a ragged looking old rat in a tricorne. He was flanked by five wharf rats and made up half the total party. Other than Sarah and Suri's crew there was only a one-eyed frog. More gold to go around then.

"Aye." Ratbeard grunted. "So I'm supposed to be naught but transportation for this venture, I take it?"

"You'll be a very important part of the expedition!" Sarah reassured him. "Besides, it's _my_ Will, _I'll_ be the one in charge of it!"

" _Bah!_ " The rat spat. "How d'we even know ye've _got_ the Will?" Suri tensed, knowing a second in advance what was going to happen. Her hands drifted down towards the hilts of her knives.

"Of _course_ I've got it!" Sarah whipped out a yellowed piece of paper. "It's right here!"

"She's got the Will boys!" Ratbeard shouted. "Take it and meet at the hideout!" He lunged forward and tore the paper from Sarah's grasp before knocking the frog over in his haste to exit the premises. He was too fast for Suri to catch, so she had to content herself with gutting one of the rats as he tried to run past her.

In a few moments two rats and the frog were dead, and the rest felt like fools.

"That _dirty old codger!_ " Sarah was nearly spitting in rage. "He took the Will!"

"Get up then, if we hurry we might catch him!" Suri barked an order at her, dragging the rat woman to her feet.

They raced back upstairs, murder in their intentions and vengeance in Sarah's. They left the bar and chased them down to the docks but too many ships were coming and going for them to be sure of which way Ratbeard's went.

" _Blast_ it all!" Suri cursed and kicked the sand.

"Trouble, my young pirate?" They'd stopped by the claiming dock with that ugly piece of skyfare still waiting for them. Old Blind Mew was in the same place they'd left him too.

"We were chasing Ratbeard, he stole something from us." Sarah said bitterly.

"Ah, then you'll be wanting to head to Blood Shoals, I believe." Suri turned to face him fully in astonishment.

"You know where they're going?" She asked and dug into one of her pockets. Blind Mew heard the jingle of coins and his ears pricked forward.

"Indeed I do, young pirate. I _distinctly_ heard a scuttling rat call to make sail for home. If it is truly Ratbeard you're after, then the place you must sail to is Blood Shoals. It is widely known he makes his home there." Suri thanked him for his time with a few golden coins in his cup.

"How're we getting there though? I don't have a ship!" Sarah fretted.

Suri thought about it and _cringed._ Just the thought to setting foot on the cursed thing made something inside her quiver in terror. No one knew if there was a bottom to sky or not and Suri did not feel like finding out.

And yet, it truly was the only way they'd be able to follow the slimy devil.

"We're going to have to take _that._ " She finally surrendered to the inevitable.

"… _That's_ your ship?" Fan gawked behind her.

"Well, you could always try _jumping_ to Blood Shoals, but I'm not going to catch you if you do." She grumbled as she walked up the gangplank.

They each stepped onto it hesitantly, ready to escape the second the wood threatened to collapse. It was old, creaky, the sail was torn and it didn't even have an anchor but it would have to do.

"Ready to set sail, captain." Subodai reported. There was no below to the deck, so all hands were present and desperately gripping the rigging (the only reliable piece on the boat) for dear life as she pulled them away.

"Flies surprisingly well." She grudgingly admitted after a few minutes. She wasn't asking for anything too strenuous of the old dinghy, but it made good time despite the torn sail. The creaking even seemed to ease up once they were out in open air.

"I-I must admit, this isn't as bad as I thought it'd be." Sarah took a deep breath. Despite her words her knuckles were still tinted white as they held onto the rigging.

"Blood Shoals dead ahead, captain!" Bonnie remarked first. In another minute the rest of the crew was able to see the isle too. Suri breathed a silent sigh of relief as she brought them up to the docks.

Curiously, she found herself a little reluctant to step back on solid ground.


	2. Going for the Gold!

Events so Far: Suri Hawkins has begun to gather a loyal crew and things are looking good for the hopeful captain. Things turn sour when Avery wriggles out of their deal and the expedition that was supposed to make up for that turned into a one-crew rat-hunt for the fiend responsible. It's a mix of the good and the bad, but she's captained her first flying vessel and feeling pretty good about this. All that's left now is to catch Ratbeard, retrieve the Will, and find Gunn's treasure without tempting her newest companions into mutiny!

Disclaimer: I do not own Pirate101!

Chapter 2: Going for the Gold!

"So this is Blood Shoals." She hummed thoughtfully. It wasn't much more than a collection of tents and rundown huts. There was really only one building that looked like it would stand the test of time, and Suri wasn't putting money on it.

"Check out those tracks, cap'n." Bonnie gestured towards the sand. "Looks like they're in Traitor's Cave."

"The rats are trapped, let us move forward!" Subodai fingered the hilt of his sword.

"No arguments here, let's get that Will and shove off." Before things get worse, she didn't add. That feeling in her bones hadn't faded yet. If things could possibly get worse for this mission, it would.

"Right behind ya, captain." Sarah growled, drawing her saber. "I want me a piece of rat-hide!"

They moved in cautiously, expecting an ambush and being unpleasantly surprised by what they found instead.

"My God!" Fan gagged. Four rat carcasses were strewn around a table laden with good food and drink. They hadn't been dead long by the smell, but even for Suri who was used to coming across such scenes, felt revolted. This wasn't a sneak attack by an enemy, this was cold-hearted murder at the hands of someone they'd placed their trust into.

"Ratbeard's worse than I thought." Bonnie shuddered. There was no sign of the rat captain. He appeared to have just vanished.

"To betray his own men, he is worse than the lowest scum." Subodai gritted his teeth, as though _refusing_ to allow his body to express disgust. Fan had no compunctions and had to leave the cave, from the sounds of it she was being violently ill.

" _You know the scoundrel who did this?"_ Suri nearly screamed. She gripped her daggers tight and instinctively drove them through the source of the ethereal voice. It did no discernable damage to the ghostly figure facing them.

"Yo-Yer one of Ratbeard's men, aren't you?" She stumbled over her words. She was never going to feel easy among the dead. They too quickly lost any semblance of their former mortality and turned into vengeful monsters who didn't care _who_ they dragged to Hell with them.

" _Yes, once I was Ratbeard's trusted first mate, Lasko. Now I linger here with my crewmates, a mere shadow of the rat I once was."_ He wailed. _"But you, yes, you with the Oath, you'll hunt him for me."_

"…What do you mean, oath?" Suri asked suspiciously. It was said the dead knew things the living did not, if this was one such case then she wanted some warning.

" _I can not say."_ The rat formerly known as Lasko moaned. _"But you hunt Ratbeard, do you not?"_

"Captain, it is not wise to question the dead." Subodai whispered tensely in her ear. Suri glared briefly but had to agree with him. Best to play it safe for now.

"Yes, we hunt Ratbeard." She could feel the unease from her crew rise sharply as three more phantoms appeared.

" _I will tell you where to find Ratbeard, but first you will help my poor crewmates find eternal peace."_ Lasko told her.

"And how can we do that?" She asked begrudgingly.

" _Moe is here for lost love. Manny is tormented by betrayal, and Jack deceived a man who trusted him. Talk to them, free them of this limbo, and I will share what I know of Ratbeard."_ He faded from view but Suri knew he lingered still.

"We don't have a choice, do we?" Bonnie shivered.

Suri didn't answer. Everyone knew that being the first to discover a ghost was dangerous. There was nothing they could do about it though, save do their best to satisfy the spirits before they grew impatient.

"Let me do the talking." She waved them off. At least then only one of them would end up cursed if things went even _further_ wrong. She approached the trio of ghosts.

"What can I do to lay you to rest?" She asked.

" _Wilhelmina, lovely Wilhelmina, we were to be wed."_ The one she guessed was Moe sobbed. _"But she was swept off her feet by that captain Gordon! I stole her mother's ring and she won't be married without it!"_

" _The ring is in my chest over there, return it to her, pirate."_ He blinked away tears. _"And give her my blessing."_

"I will do as you say and return once the deed is done." She intoned lowly, backing away towards the chest. She picked the lock but took nothing, save the ring.

Wilhelmina lived in the only stable building on the island. That was a bit of luck. Fan had recovered and followed them after being filled in.

"Wilhelmina!" Suri shouted as she knocked on the door. "I'm searching for a rat by name of Wilhelmina!"

The door opened to reveal a very pretty rat faced girl with blood shot eyes.

"I am Wilhelmina, now who are you?" She demanded.

"Suri Hawkins, here to return something to ye." She offered her the ring.

"M-My mother's ring? _Moe_ sent ye!" She looked around furtively and invited them inside.

"Please, ye _have_ to send a message to Moe! The Red Claw gang has taken Gordon, I don't know what to do!" She pleaded.

"Oof." Bonnie winced sympathetically. "I'm real sorry there, ms."

"Moe can't help anyone anymore." Sarah informed her with a kind hand on her shoulder.

"Moe….He's dead?" Wilhelmina looked ready to burst into tears. "Oh no, then what can I do? What can I do?"

She'd returned the ring, _technically_ she wasn't obligated to do anything else. She could go back and tell Moe he was free to move on.

She inwardly slumped as she realized that it wouldn't work. For one, Suri _hated_ it when people around her were upset and Wilhelmina was a very fine example of it, for another, ghosts tended to _know_ things. He'd probably force her to help regardless.

"Do you know where they might've taken him?" She sighed.

"Y-Ye'll help me? Oh, bless you, bless you!" Wilhelmina wrapped her in a warm hug. "I don't know where they took him exactly, but I _do_ know a lot of their smuggling is based around Skull Island! Maybe ye could find out more there!"

"We will go to Skull Island and save this Gordon." Subodai promised for them.

"Well, this is a fine mess, isn't it?" Fan groaned as they once again trudged on board. "Ghosts and vendettas? Sounds like something out of a story!"

"You can jump ship once we're back on Skull Island if that is your wish." Suri blackly informed her.

"Ha! You kidding me?" Fan whooped. "I left home to find an adventure like this! No way you're getting rid of me now, captain!"

There were more places to hide on Skull Island than a water mole could shake a stick at. Thankfully the Red Claw gang weren't very common on Skull Island, people tended to notice them more. A young girl, a relative of Silver's, pointed them towards a cave higher on the mountain that she'd seen the lobsters carrying loot into.

"What's the plan, captain?" Subodai asked as they scouted the area.

"It's a cave, only one way out if things go sour." Suri gritted her teeth in thought. "Sarah, hang back with Bonnie as much as possible. Bonnie, pick off the stragglers at your leisure. Fan, you're with me and Subodai, watch our backs and we'll watch yours."

"Ideally we'd get in and out without a fight, but if worse comes to worse Bonnie and Sarah, you're main mission is to get the good captain Gordon out of there." She ordered.

"Yes, sir!" They all nodded. As ready as she'd ever be, Suri led them inside.

Three crabs were hanging out just inside the entrance. Suri and the others approached them cautiously.

"We're looking for a rat named Gordon, heard he was in yer hospitable claws." She greeted them.

"Oh aye, he's here." One of them laughed. "Back through there." He gestured to a door leading deeper into the cave.

They were being too helpful. Suri could smell a trap a nautical mile away but there was little she could do. She nodded to her crew and led them deeper inside.

"Ho, what's this? Company for dinner?" She'd _heard_ about it, but she'd never actually believed it until now. Even the cutthroats didn't partake of meat from a talking creature! She'd thought it was an old mermaid's tale the big rats told the little rats to make them avoid crabs!

"You there, pirate, help!" A desperate plea came from the rat suspended in the cage. The good captain Gordon unless she missed her guess.

"Get'em lads!" The crabs all charged. Suri didn't have time to worry about the steadily lowering cage, she rushed forward to meet the charge of a cannoneer crab, slid her knives through the chinks in his armor. She heard the frantic footfalls of Bonnie and Sarah as they rushed to the cage, Sarah breaking off to hold back a crab.

Suri didn't have the time to see if they'd been successful in their rescue. The three crabs from the entrance came in and trapped them in a perfect pincer movement. She finished off her opponent and met the next, Subodai had knocked out two already and Fan was harrying them from all angles, using her amazing legs to leap over head and out of reach when things got too dicey.

Before the battle could escalate any more a new force appeared at the door and bellowed a command to halt.

More crabs, things were rapidly taking a turn for the worst here.

"Now what seems to be the problem here?" The lead crab clicked his claw. The other had been replaced by a fine metal hook. "You can't mean to skedaddle with our supper here, can ye? Men," Suri tensed.

"Rip'em apart!" She drew her knives up, ready to slash into the nearest crab.

"HOLD IT!" Bonnie bellowed before the battle could start up again. "I call parlay!"

"Wot now?" The lead crab gawked. "And who's this that claims allegiance to the code?"

The Code, the Sky Pirate Code to be exact. Any who made their living out in open sky lived by it.

"Pardon me, cap'n, but I recognize this'un." An overweight gunner crab beamed. "She's the one that stopped the Troggy Bombardment and saved the island, she is."

Ooh, she had a _reputation._ This day was starting to turn around!

"W-What!? Blast it!" The lead crab cursed. "A real pirate, eh?"

"Well, we seem to have a bit of a problem. _You_ want to save captain Gordon, _We_ want to eat him." He growled. "Bit of a stand off here."

"What would ye take in trade?" Suri asked, stepping back from the crab she'd been about to cross blades with. Subodai broke away from his opponent reluctantly and Fan was already by her left side. Bonnie, Sarah, and Gordon were behind her, weapons drawn.

"Trade? Well, isn't that something?" His eyes flicked around the room, searching perhaps for inspiration to draw from.

"Ah, I've got it!" He cheered.

"Ye see, me and me boys, we have a bit of a problem on our hooks. We've been searching _everywhere_ for a particular treasure but haven't been able to locate it." He grinned saucily at her. "Get this treasure back to us before an hour after sundown and we'll give the good captain Gordon back to ye's."

"Treasure, eh?" Suri perked up. "What treasure be you seeking?"

"The _Golden Hook_ , once belonging to the Flying Dutchman!" He informed them. "One of the most dastardly pirates to ever sail the skies, he was. His ship went down none know where, and to his grave with him he took his golden hook. Get that piece for us and we'll call it square."

"It's a good deal if they swear on the code pirate, but you'll have to be fast." Gordon whispered behind her.

"…Swear by the Sky Pirate's code that the deal will be as you said, no tricks, no take backs." She said seriously.

"I, Tyrick DeClaw of the Red Claw gang, swear by the Sky Pirate's Code not to harm captain Gordon unless the pirate captain before me fails to deliver the item I seek." He swore before their witnesses. A pirate that broke the code wasn't a pirate for long, word had a way of getting around.

"I, Suri Hawkins, captain of this crew, swear by the Sky Pirate's Code to retrieve the Golden Hook and bring it back here before an hour past sundown in exchange for the safe return of captain Gordon." She returned, completing the ritual.

"We have an accord then." The crabs opened a way for them to go. Suri hesitated and looked over her shoulder back at the good captain.

"Fly swift, pirate." He breathed shakily. "I want to see Wilhelmina again."

' _As if this mission didn't pull me heartstrings enough?'_ She nodded and led her crew out of the cave, back down the mountain to the sandy beach.

"We could talk to Skinny Pete at the tavern, he knows loads of stuff about the old timer pirates." Bonnie suggested.

They made their way to the Kraken Skulls moving only a bit faster than a conventional walk. Hurrying somewhere without a clear reason would invite others to ask _why._ She wasn't blinded by rage at Ratbeard's treason anymore, she had no excuse to play things fast and loose, she was playing this smart.

It was five thirty, they had less than four hours before Gordon's life was forfeit.

"You lot again? Catch that varmint of yers?" Skinny Pete nodded as they walked in.

"Working on it." Suri sat herself down on a stool. Easy, eyes were on them. "We actually came by to ask ye something. Know ye anything about the Flying Dutchman?"

"I might." The gentle clink of coins on the counter. "He disappeared one day, no one for sure knows where or why," He leaned in close so only she could hear.

"No one, save the lone survivor. Barrel Jack used to be the Dutchman's cabin boy, till they found him floating on a barrel in the middle of the skyway, white as a ghost and quiet as the grave." He said lowly.

"If you want to know more about what all happened, ye'll have to talk to him." She nodded her thanks and led them out again.

Barrel Jack lived in a shack on the beach and made barrels all day. He had a crippling fear of ships and everyone _knew_ he'd been a pirate once— _everyone_ on Skull Island is a or was a or _would be_ a pirate—but that was about the sum of everyone's knowledge. Suri certainly hadn't known he'd flown with the Flying Dutchman, even if it was just as a cabin boy.

He was home when they knocked on his door, a spot of luck there, he wasn't alone though. Par the course for this whole mess, she reasoned, and contented herself with the fact there were only three of them.

"I'm right grateful for the assist there, pirate." Barrel Jack heaved a sigh of relief as the last unconscious body was tossed outside. "Those folks were giving me a hard time!"

"I'm glad we could be of help," Suri said honestly. "But we came here for a reason. We're hoping ye can help us find something."

"We're looking for the Flying Dutchman's ship, do you know where it went down?" Sarah asked tiredly. The mouse fencer was starting to look a little rundown, not physically, but she was definitely losing hope of a quick solution. Suri made a note to take her aside as soon as she could manage it.

Barrel Jack gave a full body shudder and turned pale as a sheet. _Or ghost._ If she'd doubted Skinny Pete's information before she didn't now, Jack clearly knew _something._

He had to sit down on a half finished barrel, legs gone weak, but he was willing to talk.

"I remember it well. The captain, you see, he'd recently lost a shipment and the Dutchman hated losing money. We heard tale of a witchdoctor who had a load of Yumba Potion, and that stuff's even better than Yum for curing what ails ye, but she didn't want to sell." He closed his eyes tight, as if blocking the memory.

"We took it anyway, but the witchdoctor laid a curse on our ship." Now _Suri_ shivered, absently drawing a warding charm with her left hand as he continued. "We were cursed to never reach port again, and we didn't."

"Just before reaching port a cloud of ghosts appeared and dragged the ship away! I-I-I…." He swallowed and tried again. "I got away by clinging to a barrel, but the ship and all its crew was dragged off. I can still hear their screams!"

"Tell us where." Suri spoke gently. "Tell us where, and we'll never bring it up again." That explained why he'd never set foot on a ship, even just to deliver his barrels. Leave shore and who knew if he'd ever make it back alive.

"Perdition's Cauldron." It was now six of the clock. Sunset was less than two hours off, the deadline a mere three.

"I've heard things o'that place." Bonnie commented as they marched to the docks. "Bad things."

"Aye." Suri took a steadying breath. "Ain't no good what comes from Perdition's Cauldron." It was less than an hour's ride away though. She mentioned that, trying to sound casual instead of nervous.

"Only good thing about this day." Sarah mumbled as they boarded the ship.

' _Might need to talk to her sooner rather than later.'_ Suri considered her course of action. She'd prefer a talk like this to be private, but Subodai didn't strike her as the type to gossip and the others were front of the ship and wouldn't hear if they were quiet.

"We'll get that Will back from Ratbeard, Sarah." Suri reassured her.

"But what if he's already found the treasure? Oh, I _knew_ I should've made a copy while I had the chance!" The mouse fretted.

"He couldn't've gotten it yet." Suri shook her head. "He killed his crew, he'll need a new one. A crew that won't ask questions, by now the bodies have been found and people will be talking. Few people will sail with a man who'd kill'em rather than pay'em. He won't find a crew on Skull Island."

"What do you think he'll do then?" Sarah quirked her head.

"He'll outsource this. Can't be the cutthroats, they don't answer to any but themselves, too unruly. I'm not putting money on the Red Hook gang, they're more for smuggling than any other pirating." Suri considered the various factions she knew.

"Definitely not the rats, all of'em knew Ratbeard's crew, they'd ask questions." A captain was like the father of his crew and the rats _despised_ those who would kill their children.

"I'm betting he'll go to the Waponis, but they won't be easy to convince." She settled on a guess. "They hate outsiders, gold won't sway'em far and if he was willing to pay he wouldn't've killed his crew. It'll take him a while to wrangle up enough of'em for a fighting force."

"I didn't think of that." The mouse looked cheered. "Yer a real smart cookie, captain!"

"I try." She smiled, glad to see the tension drain from the fencer's shoulders.

"So we've got a week, maybe more, before he even _tries_ for the gold!" She whooped. "Thanks captain, you really know how to cheer a girl up."

"Think nothing of it, or buy me a bottle of Yum, I'm not picky." Potential crisis averted, they turned their attention forward. Sarah had a bright new outlook and soon went forward to talk with Fan, leaving Subodai and Suri alone at the stern.

Suri sent a questioning look at the horse barbarian. He shot one back with a shrug as if to say he'd seen nothing. Good, Suri couldn't have word getting out that she gave her crew pep talks. She'd never get any respect.

Perdition's Cauldron looked worse than she'd feared. Suri thought of comparing it to the inner workings of Flotsam, or the trash heaps of Scrimshaw, but they kept coming off favorably. Suri, noticing her hands were shaking, gritted her teeth and forced fear to turn to anger.

' _Stole from a witchdoctor, eh? Idjit, got yerself a curse and no one to blame but yeself. Blast you, blast those crabs, blast the ghost that sent us on this foolhardy quest and blast Rabeard for_ making _the ghost!'_ She thought furiously as she steered them around the wreckage inside.

"Captain, there is too much wreckage!" Subodai reported. "Look there, a port with a long boat!"

"I see it." She nodded in acknowledgement. In a few minutes they'd loaded up on the long boat and were pulling up to the Flying Dutchman's ship.

It had probably been a magnificent ship once upon a time. A rich galleon with bold black sails and a flag that inspired terror in her enemies. Now she was just barely floating, creaking worse than their old raft and Suri didn't feel half as confident once she stepped on board.

"Right then, let's get to the captain's quarters, get the hook, and shove off right quick." Suri stated. The time was, blast it she couldn't tell time in here but they couldn't afford to linger!

The doors to the captain's quarters were barricaded so they had to go up through the hold, but they got there. They even found the unholy remains of the captain and the skeletons of his former crew. They all held blood stained weapons, telling her that the ship's final moments were not peaceful ones.

" _ **Ye should not have come here."**_ Suri felt bile rise in her throat and stomped it down. Fan wasn't as lucky, twice in one day, poor frog.

The skeletons on the floor all rose with unholy ease, weapons sharp and deadly. At the forefront was an apparition that bore a passing resemblance to the ship's former captain, but only half as solid. The apparition had a green, sparking cloud supporting him and his _voice_.

Suri couldn't fully describe it. It was as though _Disease_ had been given a voice.

" _ **But tis not all bad,"**_ The specter raised his sword. _**"At least ye'll have lots of company."**_

"We—!" She gagged, opening her mouth had been a mistake. The air tasted of death and sickness. "We've come for the Golden Hook. I challenge ye for it!"

" _ **Bold words for such a little captain. Very well, best me in combat and ye and yours will go free with the hook."**_ She waited. _**"Fail, and ye and yours will join me undead crew."**_

"C-Captain, something's _wrong."_ Bonnie gasped breathlessly. Suri turned to look at them and felt her eyes widen in realization. The nausea wasn't just the foul odor or terrible sound, the others were even worse afflicted than she was. Fan was on her knees still coughing up stomach acid, Sarah was leaning dizzily against the wall, Subodai was using his sword for support and Bonnie's eyes were glazed with fever.

Sickness, he was making them all _sick!_ Suri whirled on the Flying, no _Floating,_ Dutchman with an ugly scowl. It had not been mutiny that killed the crew, it had been disease, and now they shared that with her crew.

' _No, they're not yours. They're mine!_ ' She drew her blades.

She was seeing double before she got two steps. She gritted her teeth and swung anyway and managed to hit one of them. She followed that one and struck again, _againagainagainagain_!

" _ **Where are ye aiming?"**_ She spat bile at him and this time felt her blow connect fully. That made him angry, good. It meant she stuck her hand into the sparking green cloud, less good.

She moaned in pain as her hand seized up. Only a lifetime of knife fights kept her from dropping her dagger. She lunged forward and caught him again, this time on the shoulder. She missed having her head cleaved in two by staggering drunkenly at the last second.

He finally cut her and she had to fight down the scream in her throat. Her strength flagged, she could feel chills seeping into her bones and a full body ache told her she was well and truly ill. Didn't matter. Did _not_ matter.

Sarah had fainted. Subodai was on his knees. _Somebody_ was going to pay.

"Die already!" She cursed the phantom. He _**laughed**_ cold and cheerful. He stopped laughing when she cut off his hand.

" _ **Pay for that, ye surely will."**_ He swore, lifting his hand to deal the final blow. _**"I'll have ye swabbing decks for an eternity."**_

This time Suri threw up. There was really only so much she could take. It eased her stomach, somewhat, and she threw herself to the side and got only a glancing blow for her efforts. She could _see_ her skin turning green now, or maybe the fever was playing tricks on her.

Suri slashed his throat but the dead do not breathe and they do not drown in blood. She'd somehow forgotten that. She made up for it by using the blow to finally take _his_ head.

Suri collapsed to the floor, too sick and tired to do anything.

" _Captain!"_ Subodai's big hands shook her, trying to rouse her. Suri, still caught in her fever, whimpered and tried to lift her head. Everyone except Sarah was standing over her, and she could see Sarah picking herself slowly across the floor towards her anyway.

"Tell me I won." She pleaded, once sure that vomit wouldn't come spraying forth like a fountain.

"Ye won." Bonnie smiled.

"Oh, good. Someone get that blasted hook." Subodai nodded obediently and rose to fetch it, leaving the girls to help their captain get back on her feet.

It suddenly occurred to Suri that her crew was mostly women. Funny how she hadn't noticed that before.

"I have it, captain." Suri nodded to him and they picked their way back through the hold and back to the tub. Suri was not recovering as fast as the others though so she left Subodai to sail them back.

"Sundown." Sarah noticed as they pulled up to Skull Island. Suri glared down at the piece of treasure in her hands.

' _Screw whoever sees._ ' She decided as they _raced_ back to the cave where the crabs were waiting. She didn't care if people knew she was in a hurry anymore. She wanted this whole thing to be over and done with!

"As I live and breathe, ye made it back alive!" The lead crab, she'd forgotten his name, cheered as they arrived. "I was _just_ about to sit down for dinner."

Whatever face she was making must have been a fright, Gordon joined them on the walk to the docks almost _sheepishly._

"I'm sorry you had to go through so much trouble on my account." He apologized as they reached the raft. Flying at night was usually pretty dangerous but it was a short trip to Blood Shoals and there was a full moon out tonight.

"Think nothing of it." She sighed and wished there was enough room on the deck to stretch out for a nap.

Wilhelmina's joy at being reunited with her lover almost made the whole thing worth it. Almost, because Suri was disgusted to find she was still running a fever. The couple did offer their home for the night at least.

"Feeling any better, cap'n?" Fan yawned as they settled down in the living room. Blankets and pillows had been supplied but there weren't enough beds to go around. Suri had a cot that Subodai had carried down for her sake.

"I _hate_ being sick." She glared into empty space. A cool, webbed hand laid itself on her brow.

"Doesn't seem bad, I reckon ye'll be right as rain come morning." She predicted.

"I'd _better._ " Suri was feeling very surly at the moment. "We've still got two more ghosts to appease."

That earned a round of mournful groans from everyone. The thought of doing the same thing over again tomorrow made more than one of them wince. If they got out of this, Suri swore she was _never_ going to subject herself to a ghost's vendetta ever again! They were never as simple as they appeared to be. Return a ring to a pretty girl, Ha! Go save a hostage from man-eating crabs and face the undead embodiment of disease itself more like!

Her sleep was uneasy but the bottle of Yum that Sarah surprised her with in the morning put everything to right. She wasn't sure where Sarah had gotten a bottle of Yum on this island, but Suri wasn't the type to ask unnecessary questions. She had a bottle of Yum to drink.

After yesterday's events Traitor's Cave seemed rather tame in comparison. Lasko was nowhere to be seen, but Moe, Manny, and Jack were eagerly awaiting her.

"I have returned the ring to Wilhelmina." _'And nearly died doing so at least twice.'_ She didn't add.

" _Thank ye kindly, pirate."_ Moe sighed. _"Now that I know Wilhelmina's happy I can rest easy."_ He faded from view, this time for good. Suri turned to the other two ghosts.

"What can I do to lay you to rest?" She asked, flicking her gaze between them.

" _Pirate, I do not begrudge Ratbeard's actions against me, for I deserved the betrayal. I was once on a crew with a man called Zadok, and we were searching for a lost city of gold."_ One of the ghosts, Manny, she bet, said. _"Zadok had found a key to let him enter the ancient doorway over there, and we followed him in. We heard a thunderous roaring, and like cowards turned and fled, fearing for our lives."_

" _I had filched the key from the captain, and I locked the door behind us, leaving him trapped inside."_ He looked at her with guilt shining in his eyes. _"This cave has been called Traitor's Cave ever since. Please pirate, the key is on a chain around me neck. Take it, and do what you can to help him."_

"I will do as you say and return once the deed is done." She sighed, not as fearful or reverent as yesterday.

' _Blast all ghosts.'_ She thought unsympathetically, silently swearing that she didn't care what sort of unfinished business she ended up leaving behind, she was _not_ sticking around as a ghost!

The bodies were still slumped against the table, both food and corpses rotting and stricken by a plague of flies. Suri had dealt with rotten food before, surely rotting bodies wasn't much different? It was basically just a rotting bag of meat now.

She plucked the chain from around the corpse's neck and fought the urge to wretch. She removed the chain from the key and tried not to think about where it had come from. The important thing was to get this over with as quickly as possible so Lasko would pony up and tell them where to find Ratbeard.

The door opened with a soft click, moving rather easily for having a mechanism thousands of years old. Suri glared balefully at the door as she passed it. Behind her the others followed, wary of whatever made the thunderous roar that scared Manny and his crewmates off. Despite what she'd been asked to do, Suri didn't honestly expect Captain Zadok to have survived.

So finding an old man muttering to himself against the wall, squinting at every shadow, was a surprise.

"Captain Zadok?" She approached cautiously.

"Yes! NO!" The man shouted in turns, startling them. "Who're you?"

"I'm Suri Hawkins, I was asked by Manny's ghost to find you." His eyes bugged out and he began hollering, a senseless, wordless cacophony of noise.

"…Should….Should I hit him?" Suri turned uncertainly towards her first mate. Her experience with crazies was rather limited.

"Where's that NO-GOOD traitor at?" Zadok finally regained a semblance of coherency. "Wa-wait…He sent you to _find_ me? HE WANTS MY GOLD!"

"He is insane." Subodai said with a tone of awe.

"Promise me if I ever start blabbering like this fool, ye'll put me out of me misery." Bonnie groaned, covering her ears against the turbulent storm of noise.

"Let's get him out of here." Suri reached forward to grab Zadok by the arm and haul him out.

"NNNOOOOOOOO!" He screeched into her ear. He began clawing at her hands, using dirty fingernails to leave pink lines that stung. "NOT WITHOUT ME GOLD!"

"Ye don't _have_ any gold!" Suri shouted back at him, shoving him so his back hit the cave wall.

"Gold?...What do _you_ know about the gold?" He quizzed her suspiciously. "There's a whole city of it up there!"

He gestured towards the hole in the ceiling, there was a make shift wrench and lift to haul people up. It looked like it had seen better days.

"All that gold! What I wouldn't give to see it!" He sighed dreamily.

Suri twitched. Judging from the overly dramatic groans and curses behind her the others had realized it too. This task wasn't going to be as simple as pulling the man out by his trouser strings.

"There had _better_ be a _shipload_ of gold up there." She swore vehemently. She stepped into the basket and had Subodai hoist her up.

There was a jungle on the surface, and the ancient ruins of a civilization long past. Suri hadn't known anything was up here. It was above the Safe Altitude Line that sky ships normally kept to. The air was thinner here, lighter somehow.

"How's it look up there, captain?" Fan called up to her.

"There's no one about!" She called back. "There are some ruins though." No sign of any large beasts yet, some good news at last.

Fan and Bonnie came up together since Fan herself was so light. Sarah's ride broke the winch and they had to find some vines to make a ladder for Subodai, but they all soon stood in the middle of a dense jungle.

"What now?" Sarah asked uneasily. Suri pointed straight at the pyramid beyond the trees.

"Head for the biggest landmark and hope there's some gold to make the trip worthwhile." She led them forward.

They left the safety of the trees and came to an entire ancient city. The jungle was claiming it back inch by inch but the stones had been hewn to stand the test of time. Just as, it seemed, the inhabitants had.

"By scales and feather!" A strange creature gasped as they came into view. Suri had only ever seen the likes of him in carvings, an ancient race that was supposed to have died out eons ago. She had to think hard to recall the name, Aztecosaurs.

A member of that ancient society was standing before her now.

Well, he had dropped to his knees and begun worshipping her, but close enough.

"Another crazy." Fan coughed into her hand. Suri was not of a mind to disagree.

"Oh Great Smooth Skin, Ancestors be praised for answering our prayers!" The aztecosaur finished his…no, no he was back to praying.

"Uh, look, why don't ye tell me what's going on?" She stopped him before he could plant his face in the dirt a second time.

"Yes, Brave Smooth Skin, I shall tell all!" His head bobbed up and down. He had a strange crown around the back of his head and a horn on his nose, did all of them look so strange?

"Long ago, our people were caught in the midst of a terrible war and we fled from our ancestral home, Azteca." He began. "After many long years we arrived at this place and made our home here, but a great calamity has struck!"

"One of our Ancestors has been corrupted by a dark spirit and a curse now holds us in its grasp." Suri twitched at the mention of a curse. "Our warriors minds grow feeble and they slave away for the Heir of Darkness. I was with a hunting party trying to find food for my starving village when the hunters with me all fell into a frenzy! I, alone, escaped."

"Please, oh Marvelous Smooth Skin and her Warrior Tribe, please help me bring food to my starving people and end this black curse that rains upon us!" He pleaded.

Suri was starting to regret her decision to be a swashbuckler instead of a witchdoctor. With all the ghosts and curses she'd been facing so far a witchdoctor's spells would've been incredibly useful.

' _But I have a standing invitation to spar with Morgan LaFitte, if I survive this.'_ And Madam Vadima was creepy, no excusing that.

"Alright then." She turned to face her crew. "First up we're going to steal the food back from the other hunters, we'll make our way to the village and get the full story on this mess. The sooner we get it done the sooner we'll be off and away. Any complaints?"

"None here, captain." Fan saluted.

"Forward, my friends! To battle!" Subodai hoisted his sword high.

The crazed hunters were meandering to and fro, as likely to turn on each other as on them. They were worse than cutthroats that way, and Suri was thankful. If they were smarter than the sharks this would be a much more difficult venture.

' _Though, if they're worshipping me then they're probably all playing without a full deck.'_ She considered. Laden down with as much food as they could carry they followed the aztecosaur hunter back to his village. The villagers had erected a barrier of diamond timber trees to keep the crazed ones out, but it was just as much a prison for them as protection.

Suri paid close attention to the reaction as they walked in. Most fell on their knees, murmuring "smooth skin" over and over again. A few, including the children, only had eyes for the food.

' _They really are starving.'_ They stopped at the center of the village and were greeted by two aztecosaurs. One was old, with wings and a fancy headdress. She didn't need to know their native language to know he was the one in charge. The other was like the hunter, except instead of yellow he was dark red and looked none too pleased to see them.

"Outsiders, you dare enter our village!?" He roared at them. Suri suddenly understood why Manny had turned tail and fled.

She dropped the bag of food at his feet and let it spill open, revealing the succulent fruits and the meat within. Her crew followed her lead, showing their spoils of war. Some aztecosaurs, females she thought, came up and claimed it. The children followed, nipping at their heels and sharing fruit amongst themselves.

"Seems to me ye've got yerselves a speck of trouble here." She said cooly. "What can we do to help?" The red one was stopped by the winged one before he could roar in her face again.

"Enough, Hotek." He snapped. _Literally,_ with a beak full of razor sharp teeth. "They have brought us food and you _know_ the legends. A Smooth Skin comes when times are most dire, the Heir of Darkness will fall!"

"Elder, you can't truly believe such a small girl can solve the problem that vexes our mighty warriors!" The red one, Hotek, exclaimed.

"It is I, not you, that is Chief of our tribe! _I_ hear the ancestors!" The winged one roared. These people had no concern for anyone else's ears.

"Smooth Skinned One, you ask what you can do to aid us in our time of need." The winged one sighed tiredly. "This curse of madness claims more and more with each passing day. The only way it can end is if the one responsible, the Heir of Darkness, is defeated. Yet we cannot raise claw of blade against an ancestor, so we are helpless."

"There is a temple the crazed ones guard, it has a powerful mystic crystal which I can use to power a shielding spell to protect you and your comrades from the curse, but only for a time." He warned them.

"Once I have given you the talismans you will need, I will tell you more."

"We'll be back soon." She nodded to him and eyed the red one.

She was checking her knives for the sake of routine, the others were doing likewise, when the Hotek stalked up to them.

"I do not approve of the elder's plan." He held up a hand to stall her. "But I will let you make the attempt. Know this, outsider, should you fail we will not be able to linger here any longer. We shall go to claim a _new_ home, there is an island not far from here with a curious skull shaped feature, we know it is inhabited."

"Fail in your task and we will conquer it." He would have turned and left then. He would have been satisfied with his honor and gone to discuss plans with his fellow warriors.

He stopped, feeling a strange weight on his back and a thin blade at his unprotected neck.

"Yer talking about me home there, _warrior._ " She warned him quietly. She'd perched on his back using his tail as a balance so she could reach his neck. None of the other villagers had noticed yet, still distracted by the food they'd brought. If she so chose he would be dead before anyone noticed.

She slipped off his back and rejoined her comrades, each with their hands on their weapons and eyeing him with great distaste. Shaken, Hotek walked away.

He would wait until the outsider and her comrades were dead before starting his plans.

"Captain?" Subodai prompted her once the red one was out of range.

"All muscle, no give at all and those scales are a natural armor better than what the crabs have." She informed them. "The scales on the neck are thinner, joints too, likely."

"If it weren't for those ghosts I'd say leave'em." Sarah glared.

"I don't think a whole village should waste away just because one of'em's got a stick shoved somewhere unpleasant." Suri shrugged. _'They were starving.'_

"Let's go get that crystal before we all wind up as nuts as Zadok." Bonnie suggested. That put an interesting twist on things, didn't it? How much of Zadok's insanity was a result of the curse? She supposed they'd find out.

"W-What if we do go mad?" Sarah was ultimately the one to voice her concern. Suri rather liked that about her.

"The rest of us keep going, and _destroy_ whatever's causing it." Suri spoke with finality. "I don't take kindly to someone poaching my crew."

Sneaking past the crazed aztecosaurs was a surprisingly heart-wrenching task. One of them was just a child, and just that fact alone almost had Suri wading through a veritable army of crazy aztecosaurs to get to it. Only the sure knowledge she wouldn't survive the attempt, and knowing the child was as insane as everyone else, kept her from following through with the urge.

The temple was heavily guarded. The Aztecs here weren't tearing into each other either, they simply stood as statues, watching. It was almost as eerie as watching the armada, but somehow more horrifying. These were living, breathing beings that needed all the things such a state implied, but they were utterly still.

' _It's not as bad as the Dutchman.'_ She told herself firmly. No one was killing them with weaponized disease, instead their weapon of choice was insanity. _'I hate curses.'_

Sneaking past them was impossible. They would not be distracted. They did not twitch. She wasn't even sure they were blinking.

"We will have to fight our way to the top." Subodai said grimly. Even a battle junkie like him could appreciate the seriousness of their situation.

Suri looked up to check the time, a bit past noon she wagered, and gave the signal to charge.

They either did not have ranged weapons or did not have the wits to use them. Suri and Subodai primarily led the charge, drawing the warriors to them like flies to a corpse. Subodai was big enough that he could match one Aztec, strength for strength, Sarah's job was to ensure that it _remained_ one on one. Suri bobbed in and out of the crazed warriors' attacks and when they turned to follow her, Fan leapt up and slashed at every vulnerable spot on their body that she could reach. Most of her blows were disabling ones, but not for a lack of trying.

They fought the battle mostly on the go. Each warrior seemed to have a set range in which they would follow Suri's crew. Once past that a new warrior took his place in the fight.

By the time they reached the top and dispatched the warriors lying in wait there everyone had gathered a small collection of wounds. Fan had even twisted her ankle on a bad landing. If Bonnie wasn't such a good shot they'd be short one frog adventurer right now.

The crystal was carved into the shape of an Aztec head and was bigger than she'd expected. Big enough to make it awkward to carry, especially as at least half the warriors had survived the battle without hindering injuries.

"Got a plan, captain?" Bonnie licked her lips.

"Good question." Suri studied the formation the remaining warriors had taken. Four of them she could tell even from the top of the stairs were on the verge of collapsing from blood loss, that would open a few gaps. It was eerie; They did nothing to stem the bleeding.

Two were on their knees, hamstrings cut by Fan's flashing knives. One of them was missing half his arm.

' _Think of them like clockworks, they have about as much free will as one.'_ She ordered herself. But clockworks didn't _bleed._

' _That way lies madness.'_ A sobering thought. They didn't have the time to waste.

"Bonnie, get yer gun up. Fire at the third, sixth, and eighth in line, they're the healthiest." Even as she spoke the second one tipped over and fell over the edge.

"There's enough gaps that we won't have to fight again till we're closer at the bottom." She nodded once those three had been removed from play. Bonnie couldn't waste ammo shooting them all down or she'd have done it already.

She saw the crazed child again on their way back. The child was in several pieces.

"Smooth Skinned One, I am gladdened to see you return." The village elder greeted them. Hotek didn't look too happy, but shock seemed to hold him silent for now.

Using the crystal's power the elder was able to craft five talismans. Suri could feel a burden she hadn't known she was laboring under lift when she put hers on. The others seemed to have similar sentiments.

"How long will these last?" She asked.

"No more than three to four hours, Smooth Skinned One." He informed them regretfully.

"Then talk fast. Who's this Heir of Darkness, how do we beat him, and where's he hiding?" She gestured for him to start.

"The Heir of Darkness is a corrupted Ancient brought back from the dead by the Queen of Shadows, he dwells in the Lava Temple just east of the village. As for beating him and breaking his hold on our brothers and sisters," His voice hissed. "Destroy the crystal statues, he takes his power from them."

"Right." She turned on her heel to find her crew ready and awaiting orders. "We don't have a whole lot of time for this so we'll make this short and sweet. Fan and I are the fastest, when we engage the enemy the two of us will go for the statues _first._ "

"Two possibilities arise, either his Darkness or whatever will move to defend the source of his power or he'll be distracted by the nearest opponents. He _certainly_ won't be alone." Not with all the mindless slaves at his disposal.

"Subodai, you're the biggest and the strongest, primarily ye are to engage Mr. Dark and keep him distracted." The horse barbarian nodded.

"Bonnie, you're our ranged specialist, hang back and pick off his bodyguards. Sarah, these crazed minions of his are unpredictable, we don't know how they'll react to this threat so I want ye to hang back as well, at first." She looked the mouse solidly in the eyes. "Move to help whoever's in the most danger. Use yer judgement."

"Aye, captain!" The crew saluted.

"He will not be as easily overpowered as our crazed brothers." Suri sighed through her nose and turned to look imperiously at Hotek, who, once again, had chosen to interrupt.

"Oh good, I was starting to worry this would be too easy." Hmm, perhaps the aztecosaurs had disappeared before the invention of sarcasm.

"Look," She _really_ wished he was closer to her own height. She wasn't exactly _short_ for a human girl but he darn near dwarfed her! "You don't like me. Fair's fair, I don't like ye either."

"But _ye_ can't lay a claw on yer precious ancestors, _I_ can." She poked him once in the chest. It was a lot less satisfying when she almost cut herself on his scales. "So stop yer bellyaching and let me do me job and we'll be outta yer hair, kapeesh?" Geez, her Flotsam days were making a come back.

He clearly didn't understand all her sayings, but he recognized the tone well enough. For a moment she honestly thought he was going to attack her and was considering letting him give the first blow. They were being watched by the village children and more than one adult, if he started the fight she had no compunctions with putting him through his paces.

' _Don't have time for this, bilgewater!'_ She cursed mentally.

"I will be grateful when you take your leave, _outsider._ " He finally growled before backing off.

"Regular ray of sunshine, that one." Fan whistled.

"Time's a 'wasting." Suri didn't argue.

By now they knew exactly what it took to get around the mindlessly wandering hunters. It was easy to get to the temple itself and it seemed the Heir of Darkness might be running out of drones, it wasn't near as heavily guarded as the first one.

Suri began to climb the stairs, hiding a wince. She shouldn't have drank all that yum earlier, it would've come in useful right about now tending to their aches. Yum alone couldn't heal all their injuries, but it sure helped.

The temple was aptly named, after climbing a hundred steps just to get in they had to _descend_ two hundred to reach the chamber the Heir had hidden himself away then. Suri chafed at the slow pace they were forced to set. She had no clear way of knowing how much time was left before the talismans died. This close to the source it would only take minutes for them to succumb.

' _I did not lose them to sickness, I won't lose them to madness.'_ God, was that only yesterday? The last rat had better be easier than this.

The Heir of Darkness was slightly rounder than she'd been expecting. The ravaged appearance of the villagers had given her the assumption that they were always built like tanks but clearly their bodies were designed for fat too.

"Ugly piece of sin, ain't he?" She muttered as they entered the room. Ten bodyguards, three statues, not as bad as she'd feared but worse than she'd hoped. She now hoped that destroying the statues really would break the curse.

"Do we stick to the original plan, captain?" Subodai asked. Suri thought about it, seriously contemplated any changes that might make this easier, but the plan she'd made with the information they had was the best she could do.

"Stick to the plan." She had to add one last thing. "Stay alive." Stay sane.

Fan went for the one on the right, Suri went left. One or the other would go for the one in the back.

Three soldiers each moved to intercept them, clearly programmed to defend the statues. Useful information, but annoying as Hell. Suri cut through one of them and dodged a spear from the second. The third she nearly vaulted over until he grabbed her boot.

Suri cussed a blue streak into the air and twisted around, hard won flexibility letting her snag his neck with her razor sharp blades. Sparks exploded around her, Bonnie taking out Aztec number two. Suri ran for the statue.

The darn thing was huge. Maybe she should've put Subodai on statue detail. Her little knives just weren't cutting it. The lava pit would have to do.

Blinking sweat from her eyes Suri braced herself against the wall and _heaved_. The statue moved slowly, tipping over bit by bit until it slipped over the edge. She could hear the Heir of Darkness' enraged roar from here.

Fan had somehow tricked one of her attackers into smashing the statue for her, but now she was trapped under a large piece of it. Sarah was standing over her, fending off the crazed warriors that sensed easy prey. Suri turned and sprinted for the last statue.

" **I shall not be Defeated!"** She heard Subodai grunt in pain as he was swatted away. Out of the corner of her eye she saw the large aztecosaur running to intercept her. He moved fast for something that must've weighed four hundred pounds.

" **You shall burn in the flames of torment, Smooth Skin!"** A furious roar, much closer this time. Suri wasn't fast enough, she wasn't going to make it and it wouldn't matter anyway. The last statue was darn near fifteen feet tall and four times as wide as she was.

' _Oh sink me!'_ She had time to think before impact.

It sent her flying. Thankfully in the right direction.

Pain. Lots of pain, especially in the rib area. Broken? Maybe, probably not though. She'd rolled a lot and that had displaced a lot of the force in the blow. She'd still hit the statue pretty hard, the carvings had cut through her coat and she felt warm blood drip. Not as warm as the lava below her.

"Captain!" Bonnie shouted a warning. Suri instinctively wrenched her head up, searching for the latest threat, and paled. The Heir of Darkness was charging as if in slow motion but Suri's entire body felt like lead, half of her thought she was sinking and the other half was convinced she was floating. Everything was moving so slowly.

' _Move.'_ She told herself. She'd spent her formative years conditioning her body to obey commands like that when the situation called for it. Sometimes she didn't have enough time for more than that, only a blatant order would do.

Her body still almost failed her. Suri rolled, tossing herself out of the way of his furious charge. The statue tilted from the force of impact, large pieces cracked and fell off and if possible his roar grew more incensed. The entire temple shook with the force of his anger.

Suri nearly went over the edge. She somehow got her fingers to latch onto the ledge and hung there shakily, waiting for the tremors to stop so she could pull herself up. Sarah got there first, grabbing her captain tight by the arm and pulling her back to safety.

The Heir of Darkness had evaporated into a pile of dust, the statue was in shambles. Her crew was still alive and a few of the warriors were regaining their sanity. Suri felt like she'd been used as a battering ram but she was ready to call this a victory.

Subodai had to carry Fan back to the village, and would have carried her too if he could've just gotten over his respect for her position. Suri was simply pleased to note that her ribs were indeed unbroken, her record for unbroken bones was eight months strong!

Still, she was well and truly exhausted by the time they reached the village. Only sheer stubbornness and pleasant daydreams of committing the perfect murder kept her going.

The surviving warrior were already returning to the village and a huge feast was being prepared in their honor. Suri hadn't realized how truly ravenous she was until the food was laid out before her. They didn't have yum but other than that it was pretty much perfect.

"Smooth Skinned One, you have done us a great service by freeing us of the dreadful curse." The chief, she should really pick up his name at some point, thanked her as the feast began in earnest. "Tell us, is there anything we might do to repay the favor?"

"…Do you have any gold?" She needed to get _something_ out of this other than a sense of accomplishment!

"Gold? What use have you for such a flimsy metal?" He cocked his head to the side. Thankfully Suri wasn't asked to explain, they gave her what gold they had but since they didn't know the value of it they had never bothered collecting it in great numbers. There was enough to fill a small knapsack they had on hand, that'd have to do.

They let them stay the night, for the feast went on for hours, and Suri was pathetically grateful. They'd insisted on giving her a separate room from her companions, but such sacrifices must be made.

She woke in the middle of the night with her blades in her hand pressed against a scaly throat, not the best wake up call she'd ever received. Hotek stared down at her, not daring to move until he was sure she was fully awake. Suri thought of slitting his throat then and there, she got a little murderous in the wee hours of the morning, but ultimately decided that unless he produced a weapon it was too much effort.

"Outsider," He nodded.

"Giant lizard," She returned with a baleful growl. If this was an assassination attempt it was a poorly thought one.

He growled at her words but cut himself off, making a visible effort to rein in his temper.

"…Thank you." Suri squinted suspiciously. Maybe the curse hadn't been broken as much as she'd thought? "You saved my wife."

 _Ah….Wait, what?_ Although she wanted to make a very rude gesture (That he wouldn't understand anyway) she instead put away her knives and sat up, hiding a wince as aches and cuts flared back to life.

"She was one of the crazed ones, your actions saved her life. She is now resting in our home, safe." He explained. His tone was almost…awkward, as if he was unused to apologizing or expressing gratitude.

"…You're welcome." He nodded again and left the room silently. Still unable to put her mind at ease, Suri crept out of bed and located her friends. Subodai snored like a sailor, the girls were all clumped together, everyone was safe.

' _Until tomorrow.'_ She thought pessimistically as she returned to bed. The thought of the next task and what it might entail kept her up for the rest of the night.

So naturally she wasn't too pleased when they'd finally gotten back to the cave the next morning and Zadok had guilt tripped her into giving away half the gold. She now had enough for a couple of rounds of Yum, still a sizeable amount of money but _bilgewater_ she hated giving gold away!

He was still as insane as the day before, the curse had apparently had no effect on him. Suri and Subodai worked together to drag him out of the cave back into the main chamber where Manny and Jack were waiting.

"I have saved Captain Zadok." _'Again, nearly died a couple times.'_

" _Thank ye kindly, pirate. Now that I know the captain is safe, I can rest easy."_ Manny faded from view. With a sour expression Suri turned to the last ghost standing.

"What can I do to lay you to rest?" The words tumbled out in automatic.

" _Pirate, listen to my tale of woe. Before Ratbeard, I worked for Avery, but my loyalty was a flimsy thing. I spied on him for the cutthroats."_ The ghost confessed. _"Please pirate, they're planning a coup on Skull Island! I can't rest until I know Avery is safe, you must stop them!"_

Blast all ghosts. Blast the sharks too.

"…I will do as you say and return once the deed is done."


End file.
